Authors: James D. Murphy.
Paperback, 240 pages
Publisher: Collins Business
Publication Date: 2006-06-01


Reviews :

   

Your business can take a lesson from the American military's fighter pilots. At Mach 2, the instrument panel of an F-15 is screaming out information, the horizon is a blur, the wingman is occupied, the jet is hanging on the edge -- and yet fighter pilots routinely handle the stress. It's not much different in today's unforgiving business world. One slipup and your company is bankrupt before your employees know what hit them.

What works on the squadron level for F-15 pilots will also work for your marketing team, sales force, or research and development group. By analyzing the work environment and attacking its centers of gravity in parallel, you'll begin to utilize the Plan-Brief-Execute-Debrief-Win cycle that will rapidly impact your business's future success. U.S. fighter squadrons have been using this program for nearly fifty years to reduce their mistake rate, cut casualties and equipment losses, and rack up an envious victory record. Now, with Flawless Execution, your business can too.

...

Authors: Leonard Goodstein. Timothy Nolan. J. William Pfeiffer.
Hardcover, 379 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Publication Date: 1993-06-01
Edition: 1

Reviews :

   

Written by three top consultants and trainers, Applied Strategic Planning shows managers and CEOs a clear, totally effective way to identify and implement strategic objectives.

Applied Strategic Planning surpasses other strategic planning models in many key areas, including:

• Emphasis on organizational culture
• Integration of business and functional plans
• Performance audits
• Gap analysis
• Values clarification

Goodstein, Nolan, and Pfeiffer take managers through all phases of the strategic planning process, including:

• How to determine if an organization is ready for strategic planing
• Effectively communicate a corporate vision
• Recognize the role of culture in changing strategic direction
• Understand the various roles of a consultant
• Write effective mission statements
• Create contingency plans

Containing charts, diagrams, and checklists along with illuminating examples from the authors, extensive consulting experience, and even cartoons that convey important points, Applied Strategic Planning lets managers at the helm navigate expertly through today's unpredictable business climate.

...

Authors: Margaret J Wheatley. Myron Kellner-Rogers.
Paperback, 135 pages
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication Date: 1998-01-01
Edition: 1st

Reviews :

    Constructed around five major themes -- play, organization, self, emergence, and coherence -- A Simpler Way challenges the way we live and work, presenting a profound worldview.

In thoughtful, creative prose, the authors help readers connect their own personal experiences to the idea that organizations are evolving systems. With its relaxed, poetic style, A Simpler Way will help readers increase their organizing capacity and free them from the daily stress that disorganization brings....

    Strikingly different from most business books--it opens and closes with a pair of very powerful black-and-white photo essays, for example--A Simpler Way lays out a fascinating and productive reexamination of the traditional tenets of organizational behavior. Internationally known consultants Margaret J. Wheatley (Leadership and the New Science) and Myron Kellner-Rogers focus on the basic themes of play, organization, self, emergence, and notions of coherence to explore how people really systemize their existence. The authors draw upon science, poetry, philosophy, and other unconventional corporate resources to suggest a completely original method of working together. "There is a simpler way to organize human endeavor," they write. "It requires a new way of being in the world. It requires being in the world without fear. Being in the world with play and creativity. Seeking after what's possible. Being willing to learn and to be surprised."

While A Simpler Way may appear too New Age for some readers, this beautifully produced book hits the mark by bringing together an array of unexpected ideas as the authors look anew at established theories of human behavior to propose a decidedly unique way of promoting organization and achieving success. --Howard Rothman...

Authors: Erich Joachimsthaler.
Hardcover, 272 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Publication Date: 2007-05-17
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Companies must innovate to grow, but they often forget to look beyond their own brands. Take Sony, for example. Its success with consumer innovations like the Walkman blinded it to obvious changes in how, when, and where people wanted their music. Apple capitalized on those changes in demand with the iPod, providing a new way of listening to music and of managing one's entire music library. This book explains how you can spot these opportunities that are hidden in plain sight. It introduces the demand-first innovation and growth model that will show you how to become an unbiased observer of people's consumption and usage behaviors. Refining this skill helps companies generate organic growth through new products, services, solutions, and experiences that truly enhance peoples' lives. Revealing the innovative processes of such organizations as BMW, Proctor and Gamble, GE Healthcare, and Frito-Lay, Hidden in Plain Sight offers you a new approach to identifying and executing your company's growth strategy....

Authors: V. Kasturi Rangan. Marie Bell.
Hardcover, 289 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Publication Date: 2006-06-30
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Most distribution channels are outdated and unwieldy, serving neither customers nor channel partners adequately. Despite new technologies that have streamlined many transactions and processes, a general lack of leadership combined with flawed and deeply ingrained structures make distribution channels exceedingly difficult to change. What companies need, says V. Kasturi Rangan, is a new approach to going to market - channel stewardship - that simultaneously addresses customers' best interests and drives profits for all channel partners. In "Transforming Your Go-to-Market Strategy", Rangan shows how any member of a distribution channel can adopt this role and learn how to shape an effective, constantly evolving, and mutually beneficial channel strategy. This book outlines three disciplines that companies must master to navigate the complex distribution environment successfully: map the industry channel, build and edit one's own channel continuously to best serve customers, and align and influence one's channel value chain to ensure that all parties reap appropriate rewards. Rangan also provides guidance on managing multiple channels, integrating the Internet into a channel strategy, and overcoming common barriers that impede transformation. A fresh approach to designing and managing channels for the long term, this book helps firms expand value for customers, partners, and the bottom line....

Authors: Jason Jennings.
Hardcover, 288 pages
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
Publication Date: 2005-05-05


Reviews :

    Is it possible for a company to grow its revenues and profits by 10 percent or more for at least ten consecutive years, not counting acquisitions? That’s an incredibly high bar for growth and profitability, one that 99.99 percent of American companies can’t meet— including the famous ones that routinely land on magazine covers.

Management expert Jason Jennings screened 100,000 companies to identify nine little- known firms that have delivered stellar performance for a full decade or more, despite the ups and downs of the economy. And, as he reveals in his new book, these superstars have a lot in common despite their wide range of industries, which includes software, food services, medical supplies, and sporting goods.

It turns out that the best long-term performers all combine the strengths of a big organization with the hunger of a start-up. They build excellent relationships with their customers, suppliers, workers, and shareholders. They groom future leaders at all levels. They balance their short-term goals with their long-term visions. And they teach their managers to get their hands dirty.

Jennings did extensive interviews at his nine featured companies to find out exactly how they consistently increase revenue and profits without using manipulation or gimmickry. He reveals their unique approach to leadership and shows how any company, no matter what size or industry, can benefit from following their examples.

Think Big, Act Small may be the most powerful management book since Good to Great and Execution....

Authors: Amory Lovins. Hunter Lovins. Paul Hawken. Forest Reinhardt. Robert Shapiro. Joan Magretta.
Paperback, 272 pages
Publisher: Harvard Business School Press
Publication Date: 2000-01


Reviews :

    The "Harvard Business Review Paperback Series" brings managers and professionals the fundamental information they need to stay competitive in a fast-moving world. Gathered in a highly accessible format are the leading minds and landmark ideas that have established the Harvard Business Review as required reading for forward-thinking businesspeople worldwide. With concern for environmental issues growing, defining the controversial relationship between business and the environment has become even more essential. "Harvard Business Review on Business and the Environment" brings together the latest management thinking on the role of the environment in business, and offers a general management perspective that will help outline the critical environmental issues your organization may face. A Harvard Business Review Paperback....

Authors: Bob Fifer.
Paperback, 256 pages
Publisher: Collins Business
Publication Date: 1995-05-10


Reviews :

    One of the nations' foremost financial consultants shares 78 proven ways to cut costs dramatically, send productivity through the roof, and, in just six months, double profits....

Authors: Robin E. McDermott. Raymond J. Mikulak. Michael R. Beauregard.
Paperback, 80 pages
Publisher: Productivity Press
Publication Date: 1996
Edition: 1

Reviews :

    Based on requirements established by the big-three automakers, The Basics of FMEA introduces work teams to this valuable tool. Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (FMEA) helps prevent failures, defects, and errors, because the tool identifies special causes of variation before they occur. This is valuable in any quality control or continuous improvement program and the reason that the automotive industry's QS-9000 standard requires their use. But FMEA is a valuable tool for any industry in which prevention is important. The process establishes a systematic method for determining causes and creates a common language for FMEA teams - a method easily transferred to other industries....

Authors: John Baldoni.
Paperback, 208 pages
Publisher: McGraw-Hill
Publication Date: 2003-06-16
Edition: 1

Reviews :

   

A groundbreaking guide to mastering the most important leadership skills

Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders gives anyone from managers to executives an unparalleled opportunity to do just that. John Baldoni explores the communication styles of many of the world's most influential leaders and extracts powerful lessons that leaders of all stripes can use to improve their communication skills and overall leadership effectiveness. Drawing upon his years of experience as a top leadership consultant, visionary and coach, Baldoni:

• Reveals the communications secrets of Jack Welch, Rudy Giuliani, Colin Powell, Peter Drucker, Winston Churchill, Steve Jobs, Katharine Graham, and many other influential leaders
• Distills the proven communication techniques of today's greatest leaders into core strategies and step-by-step solutions
• Develops guidelines for making the most of computer-aided presentations, videoconferencing, and other new technologies

...